The present invention relates generally to compositions of specific nutrients for enhancing physical performance and to the regimens associated with the administration of those particular nutrient compositions. More particularly, the present invention relates to particular combinations of certain biologically active amino acids and their oral administration to accomplish this enhancing of physical performance.
Achieving peak physical performance has long been a goal for self-improvement as well as athletic competitive purposes. The most effective means for improving physical performance involves prolonged systematic exercise and diet training.
Other means, namely pharmaceuticals such as anabolic steroids, are sometimes utilized for enhancing physical performance in conjunction with exercise and diet control. Anabolic steroids are testosterone derivatives which have been reported to promote tissue growth, increase muscle mass, increase hemoglobin concentration and blood volume, improve fatigue recovery and generally improve overall strength and power. For these reasons, anabolic steroids are widely used, often illegally, by numerous persons.
The use of anabolic steroids, however, can result in many serious complications. For example, steroid use has been known to cause interrupted growth and virilization in children, birth defects in the unborn, severe virilization in women, decreased high density lipoprotein levels in blood, disorders of the reproductive system and liver disorders including carcinoma and peliosis hepatis. Steroid use can also result in psychological disorders such as unpredictable mood changes, aggression and libido. Because of these severe side-effects, the use of anabolic steroids is clearly undesirable and has come under considerable attack.
It has now been surprisingly discovered that the controlled oral consumption of effective levels of nutritional mixtures containing certain biologically active amino acids is effective in enhancing physical performance characteristics such as power and intensity of physical exercise as well as endurance of that exercise. By proper administration of the amino acids compositions as detailed below, physical performance can be enhanced through sound nutrition without the deleterious side effects of pharmaceutical performance enhancers.
It is well-known that certain amino acids play a critical nutritional role in muscle development and performance. For example, several investigators have demonstrated that skeletal muscle serves as a major site of branched chain amino acid metabolism. Also, alanine is released from working muscle in large amounts. This alanine is synthesized within the muscle by the transamination of pyruvate and glutamate. The pyruvate is derived from exogenous glucose or muscle glycogen. Once released from the muscle, the newly synthesized alanine is transported to the liver where it is deaminated resulting in the reformation of pyruvate. This constitutes the glucose-alanine cycle which is primarily responsible for transporting toxic ammonia from the working muscle in the form of alanine to be disposed of as urea.
Currently, a number of oral protein supplements, some of which claim to enhance physical performance, are commercially available in the United States. Some include combinations of various amino acids, such as those sold under the trade names MARCOR (a casein supplement sold by Marcor Development Company, Hackensack, N.J.) and UNIPRO (TM) (a "performance enhancer" sold by UNIPRO, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.).
The "performance enhancing" supplements are supposed to improve muscle growth, strength, healing, stamina and fat burning, but have not been shown overly effective in enhancing power, intensity, endurance and other indicia of physical performance.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of these commercially available supplements by providing a nutritional mixture of certain biologically active amino acids which, when consumed orally, in fact significantly enhances physical performance.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide nutritional supplements in the form of amino acid compositions, and regimens for oral consumption of these amino acid compositions, which significantly enhance physical performance.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide nutritional supplements in the form of amino acid compositions, and regimens for oral consumption of these amino acid compositions, which do not produce the deleterious side effects which result from the use of anabolic steroid and other pharmaceutical performance enhancers.